GOAT Index

Two legends at a time. Thousands of votes. One ranking.

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John McEnroe: the case for the GOAT

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    John McEnroe: the case for the GOAT

    USA · Born 16 February 1959, Wiesbaden, West Germany · Career 1978–1992

    Fiery American left-hander with a sublime touch at the net and a famous temper, whose rivalry with Borg and serve-and-volley artistry lit up the late 1970s and 1980s.

    Career highlights

    Why John McEnroe could be the GOAT

    McEnroe's 1984 season, 82 wins against three losses, is one of the most dominant years any man has played. He was world No. 1 in singles and doubles, a rare double, and won 155 titles combined. For touch, volleying genius and ability to beat Borg at his peak, his supporters say he had the purest talent of all.

    What fans say

    John McEnroe is #6 of 20 in the fan ranking, with a 4–1 head-to-head record from 52 Men's tennis votes. See the full Men's tennis GOAT ranking

    John McEnroe head to head

    How the ranking works. Every head-to-head vote is a result, like a game. The standings use a Bradley–Terry model, the same idea behind chess ratings: beating a highly rated legend counts for more than beating a long shot. Ratings are shown on a chess-style scale centred on 1500.

    One vote per matchup per person. If you see a pairing again in another session your new answer replaces the old one, so nobody can stuff the ballot by repeating a matchup.

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      Photos come from Wikimedia Commons under the licenses listed. Each links to its source page.